James Derian’s term as president of the Oakland County Bar Association ends June 30 — and, in his 10 years as a board member, he introduced several new programs to the association.

The Oakland County Bar Association is a nonprofit membership organization for attorneys and judges who practice law in Oakland County.

Derian served as president for one year and, under his leadership, the association started Constitution Day last fall and Law Day on May 1.

“These programs were designed for 8th graders to educate them about the legal process and provide them with tools for better decision making. With funding from the Oakland County Bar Foundation, we presented the programs at Pontiac Middle School and three charter middle schools also in Pontiac,” said Derian, a resident of Oakland Township. “We definitely plan to offer both programs in the coming year because we’ve had such a positive response from the students and their teachers.”

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In the association’s 80-year history, Derian, who works as the corporate counsel for Delphi Automotive Systems, is the first in-house attorney from a private company to serve as president. He will no longer be on the board, but will chair the nominating committee next year.

Derian said, what he enjoyed most about his term as president was working “side-by-side with so many bright and talented lawyers in Oakland County to advance the interests of the community at large.”

Executive Director Terri Ticknor Gilbert will miss working with Derian.

She said, “The hallmark of Jim’s presidency has been his commitment to civic education for the youth in Oakland County. ... The new Constitution Day programs offered last fall and this spring were well received and have successfully advanced his call for the legal community to educate our youth so they can fully participate in our democracy.”

About the Author

Monica Drake also puts together the community sections, in print each Thursday. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Oakland University. Reach the author at monica.drake@oakpress.com
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